The hardest game to win

It’s beyond cliche to say that the fourth victory of the series is the hardest one to win. We hear it over and over again in every sport. But really, it can be difficult. Two nights ago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia had a chance to sweep their respective series, and they both lost — LA to Vancouver and Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. The Predators, who are up 3-1 on Detroit with a chance to clinch the series tonight, have taken note of this and understand this game will be highly difficult.

“It just shows how hard it is to win, when a team is playing desperate it’s tough to beat them,” defenseman Ryan Suter said. “We have to find a way to match their desperation and their energy.”

The Predators need to jump on the Red Wings early, feed off the crowd and get it into the game and never let them out of it. Detroit knows this, which is why a good start is paramount to their success. The team that has scored first has won every game this series.

“The key is not to think about having to win three games,” Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart said. “You have to win one game to give yourself a chance to win the next one. That’s really all you can think about at this point.”

Said Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock, “There can be no more desperate team than us.”